Masquerades and masks
by Lunarwolf11021
Summary: The six time Muse came to Uta's shop for the masks and the one time she came for Uta. M to be safe. OC
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tokyo Ghoul.**

 **Summary: The six time Muse came to Uta's shop for the masks and the one time she came for Uta.**

* * *

Muse looked at the shop and grimaced slightly. She'd been attempting to find good masks for the annual masquerade ball that her work threw. Somehow, she ended up being the one picked to find masks for a group of her coworkers. At the very least, she wasn't the one stuck decorating, but Muse would've been happier doing that. Why the most highly recommended mask shop had to not only be in the ghoul infested fourth ward, but in the worst part of town too? Steeling herself, Muse decided to go in and take a look around for about five minutes before leaving as there had to be another good mask shop.

Almost immediately, Muse's plans were derailed upon entering the shop. Her breath was taken away as she caught sight of the works of art. It was quite clear that each mask was created with dedication and care by a master of the trade. Moving towards the closest mask, Muse didn't realize she was being watched until a male voice spoke from behind her, "Looking for something?"

Muse jumped slightly and spun around to see the man that probably owned the place. She was taken off guard by his eyes, but realized he was probably one of those guys that tattooed their eyes to look like a ghouls'. He seemed the type if the tattoos she could see were any indication. Forcing herself to calm down, Muse smiled lightly, "Ah yes, my work is throwing a masquerade ball and I was put in-charge of finding some masks for the group in charge of decorating."

The man hummed lightly, "I see and is there perhaps a theme?"

Muse grabbed her backpack and dug inside it for the note she'd been given. She found it after digging all the way to the bottom and looked it over before saying, "A midsummer nights dream."

"Ah, a Shakespearean themed ball," The man nodded, "I don't normally get requests like that, so I don't have any already made," He looked at her curiously, "When is this ball?"

"It's about two weeks away," She informed him while unfolding the paper, "I have the measurements from the last time they did a masquerade ball," She then added on, "The shop they used last time went out of business,"

He took the paper from her and looked it over, "I see. There are six masks to make?"

"Mhmm," Muse nodded lightly.

"And am I correct in assuming you aren't going to be participating?" Muse was caught off guard by the question.

She nodded lightly with a raised eyebrow, "How did you know?"

"None of these measurements match up with yours," He informed her, "Over time, I've gotten pretty good at guessing people's measurements,"

"An interesting skill," She commented feeling a little surprised before redirecting the conversation back to where it should be, "So will two weeks be enough?"

"If you could get the color schemes they want, I should be able to get it done," Muse sighed in relief earning a slight smile from the male, "Is there anything else you need?"

"A name and I'll be out of your hair," Muse replied feeling thankful to finally of found a good mask maker, "It's so my company can keep you on file encase they have another party like this and won't have to go looking for you if they like your masks. Not to mention, they'll need to know your name and details in order to pay you,"

"Of course," He walked over to the rather crowded desk she hadn't noticed before and took out a sheet of paper before writing on it, "Here you are," He walked back over and handed it to Muse, "And may I have your contact information? I'll need it to inform you of if I need anything else and when the masks are done,"

"Right," Muse took out a piece of scrap paper from her bag and quickly wrote it down before handing it to him, "Thank you so much for your help,"

"It's no trouble," The man replied and Muse made a quick exit as she needed to inform everyone that she'd found a good designer.

It was only after Muse had gone home that she thought to add the man's information into her phone. A small smile appeared on her face as she murmured, "Well, Uta. It looks like we'll be working together for a little while."

 **A little drabble series that popped into my head.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tokyo Ghoul.**

 **Summary: The six time Muse came to Uta's shop for the masks and the one time she came for Uta.**

* * *

Muse headed to Uta's shop after work a day after her first trip to deliver the information he wanted. She saw that he was with a customer and decided to take a better look at the masks lining the walls and the various manikins. She admired just how skilled Uta was since each of these masks had so many details inside them that it was insane. She paused upon seeing a single mask that seemed to stand out greatly to her. It reminded her of a stained glass window with it's delicate structure, yet beautiful artwork. The artwork resembled a multitude of vines and flowers that she didn't really recognize. Muse almost jumped out of her skin as Uta asked, "See something you like?"

Muse flushed lightly and turned towards him, "You're amazingly detailed with your work. It's awe inspiring to see just how your hard work pays off in the end."

Uta seemed slightly surprised by her answer, but smiled slightly. Muse was slightly startled by his smile, but admitted it fit him. Uta turned to look at the mask she'd been giving the most attention to, "That mask, it was one of the harder ones to create."

"It must've been hard to make it look so delicate, yet still have it be durable," Muse commented with a slight smile, "You're a very good mask-maker, Mr. Uta,"

"And you're very observant, Miss Vale," Uta replied with a slight chuckle.

Muse shook her head, "Please call me by my first name. Every time I heard 'Miss Vale' I either think my mother's sneaking up behind me or I've gotten into trouble with my teachers."

"Then drop the Mr," Uta replied earning a nod, "So do you have the information I asked for?"

Muse produced it from her bag and handed the note book she'd written in them to the man, "Here you are."

"Thank you," Uta opened the notebook and Muse headed towards the door, "Leaving so soon?"

"I need to get home," Muse informed him, "My neighbor will only watch my dogs for so long,"

"I suppose I'll see you around then," Uta headed towards his desk.

"Oh," Muse paused at the door and turned to him, "If you need any more information or anything, you just need to text me,"

"I'll keep that in mind," Uta replied with a nod towards her.

Muse left the shop and headed straight towards the train station.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tokyo Ghoul.**

 **Summary: The six time Muse came to Uta's shop for the masks and the one time she came for Uta.**

* * *

It had been two days since she'd left Uta's shop the second time and Muse found herself heading back rather early in the morning. Muttering a few curses under her breath, Muse dodged around the drunks leaving the various bars and avoided the prostitutes that were walking around. Entering the shop with a yawn, Muse called out, "Uta? I'm here."

"Ah, Muse," Uta called out from his desk, "I'm glad you could make it,"

Muse walked over to him with a frown, "Why did you need to see me so early?"

"I wanted you to look at the designs I've drawn up," Uta informed her, "I need someone that knows your co-workers to tell me if it fits them,"

"Does it really matter?" Muse couldn't keep the irritation out of her voice.

"Yes, it matters," Uta looked at her in amusement, "Not a morning person?"

"I despise the mornings on days when I can actually sleep in," Muse informed him.

Uta chuckled lightly and Muse found her irritation growing a little. How could someone be so happy in the morning? It was inhuman! Uta shook his head, "My apologies for waking you. I just get eager when it comes to my work."

Feeling a little bad for lashing out at him, Muse sighed deeply and ran a hand through her still damp hair, "It's fine. So the designs? I might not be the best person for this since I don't really interact with my co-workers too much."

"So long as you have some ideas, it should be fine," Uta assured her before asking, "Not a social person?"

Muse shook her head as he pulled out the designs and showed them to her, "No. I was actually planning on being a write, but things happened."

"As they usually do," Uta offered her the chair at his desk, "Take a seat, I'll go make some coffee,""

"You don't have to," Muse protested earning a slight smile.

"I woke you up on your day off," Uta waved off her protest and gently pushed her towards the chair, "Besides, you need to be awake for this,"

Muse was tempted to protest, but had a feeling that the mask maker wouldn't give up. Finally, she took a seat in the chair with a slight huff and told him, "Lots of sugar and cream, please."

Uta chuckled and headed off to get the coffee as Muse looked over the designs. Even if they weren't finished, Muse was surprised by how much detail Uta managed to work in. Not to mention, he managed to get them to suit the people they were for. Even Muse, the one that didn't know much about her co-workers, could see them wearing these. When Uta returned with the coffee, Muse told him what she knew about each co-worker and which masks would go with who. Uta listened to her as they drank coffee together and prompted her to think about each co-worker as she spoke. By the time Uta was satisfied, Muse had realized she knew more about the co-workers she didn't interact with than she thought she did. Uta sent her home with a smile and telling her he would be calling her soon. He also suggested that she get a list of their allergies so that he could pick out the materials for the masks.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tokyo Ghoul.**

 **Summary: The six time Muse came to Uta's shop for the masks and the one time she came for Uta.**

* * *

Muse entered Uta's shop a day after her last visit and found the man looking at something on his desk. Uta looked up at her and smiled slightly, "I thought you would be here yesterday."

"One of the decorators had the day off," She explained as she walked over to him and handed him the information he requested, "She decided to be a bit difficult and asked a lot of questions about why it was needed,"

Uta looked at her with amusement visible in his eyes, "Oh? Sounds like she was annoying."

"She is," Muse covered her mouth and groaned, "Damn it,"

"A bit tired?" Uta asked earning a nod.

Muse watched him look over the information, "Yeah. I always end up saying stuff I shouldn't when I'm tired."

"Interesting," Uta looked up from the papers she'd given him, "Muse, might I ask a question?"

Muse was slightly caught off guard by the question, but said, "Sure. Just don't make it a weird one."

"Do you want me to make you a mask?" Uta asked her curiously taking Muse off guard again.

"Make me a mask?" Muse murmured softly before shaking her head, "Why do you ask?"

Uta turned back to his desk and took out the sketches she'd seen before though they were far more detailed this time, "You seem really interested in my masks, so I thought you might like one."

Muse considered his question and knew that she wanted a mask made by him. Who wouldn't want a mask made by a man that was obviously not only a master, but so dedicated to his work? And yet, Muse knew she couldn't get a mask made by him. Not only was he already busy with the masks of her co-workers, but Muse didn't have the money for such a thing. Sighing softly, Muse told him, "While I would like one, I couldn't ask you to make me a mask."

"Why not?" Uta asked her.

Muse ran a hand through her spiky honey colored hair, "You're busy with the masks of my co-workers."

"I've had to make more masks than this in such a short time before," Uta informed her as he turned to Muse, "But that isn't the only reason, is it?"

Looking at Uta in surprise, Muse realized that she shouldn't be so surprised. Uta seemed like the type of person that was really observant even if he didn't look like it. Muse was tempted to brush him off, but decided not to, "I honestly don't have the money for such a thing right now. Maybe some other time," 'Probably never' Muse mentally added, "Is the information what you needed?"

Uta looked down at the papers she'd given him before nodding, "Yes. Thank you for being so thorough."

"No problem," Muse turned and headed for the door, "See ya later, Uta,"

"See you soon," Uta replied behind her.

Muse left the shop and headed towards the train station. She needed to get home and not think about how much she really wanted a mask made by Uta. And it wasn't that she wanted a mask, she didn't have a need for one. No, it was the fact that it would be made by Uta that made her want one. Somehow, Uta had managed to get Muse to like and enjoy being around him during the short time she'd known him. If Uta was making her a mask, Muse would have more reasons to be around him and might actually be able to become friends with him. Maybe a bit more at some point? Mentally sighing, Muse pushed those thoughts from her mind and got onto her train.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tokyo Ghoul.**

 **Summary: The six time Muse came to Uta's shop for the masks and the one time she came for Uta.**

* * *

Muse groaned softly as her phone rang and blearily reached for it with confusion in her soft grayish blue eyes. A soft whine from the weight on her right side and a cold nose hit her neck on the left made Muse realize her dogs had joined her in bed at some point. Deciding it didn't matter, Muse grabbed her phone and blinked rapidly at the screen as it temporarily blinded her. Once her eyes had gotten used to the light, Muse realized that Uta had called her at two in the morning. Cursing him softly under her breath, Muse answered her phone when he called again, "What is so important that you have to wake me up at two in the morning?"

"Hello to you too," Uta replied and Muse barely refrained from cursing him out, "I wanted to know if you wished to get a sneak peak at the masks,"

Muse was torn between cursing him out for waking her up for a stupid reason and actually going to see those masks. Muse thought really hard about it before deciding why not. He had already woken her up and it wasn't like she'd be falling asleep for another hour or so. Considering the fact she had to be up in two hours anyway for work, Muse decided that it wasn't worth waking up early. Yawning softly, Muse informed him, "Be at the train station when I get there, please. I don't want to walk around that part of town so late at night with Ghouls and who the hell else knows is out there."

Uta's chuckles entered her ears, "I don't have a problem with that. See you soon."

"See you soon," Muse replied before ending the call.

Muse slowly got out of bed and got ready for the day. Hopefully getting up this early would be worth it.

* * *

Muse walked beside Uta clutching a cup of hot coffee while keeping a firm grip on his jacket. Uta didn't seem to mind her grabbing onto him or he might not have noticed. Either way, he let Muse hold onto his sleeve as they headed towards his shop. Muse tried to ignore how uneasy she felt as she caught sight of crimson and black eyes staring at her. She moved closer to Uta and was surprised when he wrapped an arm around her. She looked at him in askance and he smiled slightly, "You're uneasy."

"Considering where we are, are you really surprised?" Muse asked him while giving the area around them a wary look and noticing that Uta was really warm.

Uta chuckled softly, "It is nighttime in the fourth ward, so no. You don't usually seem so uneasy when you're visiting me."

"Because it's day time and people don't usually get attacked during the day," Muse retorted making Uta's smile widen a little.

"I see," Uta looked forward, "Here we are,"

* * *

Muse looked at the mask lining the walls as Uta went into the back to grab the masks. She paused in front of an odd mask and had to stare at it for a little bit. The mask looked like a wolf, but wasn't a normal one. The vague memory of her English class and the American history they discussed due to someone asking about the Indians popped up in her mind. It was almost like one of those tribal masks only a bit diffrent. Muse heard Uta set something down and turned to him, "Uta, where did you get the idea for this one?"

Uta turned towards her and looked at the mask in surprise, "I didn't realize I had that one set up," He walked over to the wall and peered at the mask, "I got the idea when I was younger and one of my friends became obsessed with Native Americans. It just popped into my mind back when I was just starting, so I decided to have a little fun with it."

"It's really cool," Muse told him, "You really made the wolf look life like which is amazing considering the fact it's an inanimate object,"

"You like wolves?" He asked her with curiosity.

Muse nodded lightly, "I love wolves. I used to want one as a pet, but ended up getting dogs instead."

Uta chuckled softly, "I suppose they're close enough," Uta turned, "I have the masks."

Muse followed him over to the desk and found herself staring at the masks. While they weren't finished, the masks already looked amazing and Muse could see just how each one would look once they were finished. She reached over and gently picked up the mask she knew was Puck's, "They look amazing, Uta."

"I'm glad you think so," Uta told her as he looked at the mask she picked up, "Do you think they need anything else? Other than the obvious?"

Muse set down the mask she picked up and looked them over before shaking her head with a sheepish smile, "Sorry, Uta. I can't really say anything."

"You sure?" Uta asked as he peered at her curiously.

Muse nodded while picking up her coffee to take a sip, "I'm sure."

"Are you absolutely sure?" Uta pressed, "Take another look, please,"

Muse was tempted to say no, but the look in his eyes had her turning back to the mask to take a closer look. Uta seemed like he really wanted to know if there was more he could do and Muse couldn't really say no to him. Muse caught sight of the Oberon mask and reached out to pick it up. She looked it over carefully before saying, "Perhaps a bit more purple coloring?"

Uta peered a the mask and nodded, "Not too much, but a bit more."

* * *

Muse found herself rushing to work from Uta's shop a bit too close to when she had to be in, but she felt a bit happy for helping Uta. It had been a lot more fun than her work, so Muse hadn't really noticed how quickly time was moving until her phone chirped at her to remind Muse that she had to get to work.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tokyo Ghoul.**

 **Summary: The six time Muse came to Uta's shop for the masks and the one time she came for Uta.**

* * *

Walking into Uta's shop for what would probably be the last time, Muse was filled with mixed feelings as she saw him with a customer. As she usually did, Muse moved over to the masks lining the walls. She smiled as she looked over the details and even noticed a few things she hadn't before. As she moved down the line, Muse found herself pausing as she spotted the various animal masks. Predictably, her attention was immediately taken by the wolf masks. There were three of them, Muse could name each species with ease due to the studies she's done on them. When Uta walked up behind her, Muse informed him, "These look a lot like the American Grey, Arctic Black, and the English red wolf they're supposed to be."

"You're the only one that's spotted the difference," Uta's tone was soft, but Muse could detect the surprise there.

Flushing lightly, Muse told him, "I did a really big study of wolves for one of my classes back in college. I took zoology on a dare."

"You don't seem to be the person to do such a thing lightly," Uta informed her as she turned to him.

Let out a light laugh, Muse admitted with a sheepish smile, "My best-friend at the time got me drunk. I still haven't forgiven her for it."

Uta chuckled softly, "She sounds like a friend of mine though Itori has never managed to get me drunk. She's tried."

"You must have a high resistance to alcohol," Muse commented before hearing her phone go off and checked it to see that one of her co-workers was asking about the masks, "So, have you finished the masks?"

"Mhmm," Uta hummed lightly as he walked towards the door at the back of his shop, "Give me a moment,"

Muse watched him go while texting her co-worker, 'I'm getting them now. Don't worry.'

She slipped her phone back into her bag as Uta walked out carrying a familiar tray. Muse walked over to him and looked over the finally finished masks in awe. Seeing them now, Muse couldn't believe how amazing these turned out. Uta spoke up from her side, "Do you like them?"

"They're amazing," Muse felt a little breathless as she turned to him, "These are absolutely perfect,"

"I'm glad you like them," Uta replied and Muse reached into her bag to pull out the check she'd been given that day.

Muse handed it to him, "Here is the money for the masks."

Uta took the check from her and boxed up the masks. Muse took them as Uta said, "Thank you for being patient."

"It was well worth it," She told him, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get these to my co-workers. Thank you for making them,"

Muse headed to the door as Uta called out, "See you later."

Muse's steps almost faltered as she heard that and she smiled sadly as she opened the door. Turning her head, Muse told him, "Goodbye, Uta."

With that, Muse left the mask shop feeling more than a little sad. The last two weeks had been so much fun and it was all because she got to know Uta. Heading towards the train-station, Muse lamented on the fact she would probably never see him again. Life really sucked sometimes.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tokyo Ghoul.**

 **Summary: The six time Muse came to Uta's shop for the masks and the one time she came for Uta.**

* * *

Looking towards the sky as she headed towards her house, Muse didn't notice the box sitting on her doorstep until she almost tripped on it. Grumbling under her breath at how people shouldn't leave boxes on the ground, Muse picked it up and opened the door to her house earning excited yips from her dogs. Muse set her things down on the living room table and began to play with her dogs as they demanded. She forgot all about the box until the next day. Opening it up as she listened to the rainstorm outside, Muse could only gap at the mask sitting right in the center of the box. It was a wolf mask that was primarily crimson red with white swirls on the cheeks and forehead. Muse slowly lifted it up and stroked the soft, almost fur-like leather. Setting it down as she noticed the note sitting near the side of the box, Muse picked it up and opened it:

 _Muse,_  
 _I hope this isn't terribly forward of me, but I've found myself thinking of you a lot lately. You're a very interesting woman and someone that has clearly lived up to their name as I've found myself stuck with multiple ideas that I can't possibly make all of. The mask in the box is a gift from me to you due to the inspiration you've given me not to mention the help you gave me when I was creating those masks. I know it's a bit late seeing as the last time we saw one another was two weeks ago, but I'm hoping you wouldn't mind too terribly coming to see me at some point soon. It would be wonderful if you would._  
 _Uta._  
 _P.S: The mask is yours, so don't you dare try to return it to me.  
_

Muse stared at the note feeling a mixture of anger and happiness. The anger was from getting an undoubtedly expensive gift and being told she couldn't return it. The happiness was from the fact Uta actually wanted to see her again. She was conflicted about what she was going to do before deciding to follow the advice her mother had given her back when Muse had first moved to Tokyo, "While being cautious will assist you in survival, you should also take the time to enjoy life and wing it."

Taking a deep breath, Muse grabbed her phone and texted Uta, 'I would love to come over. When are free?'

Uta responded moments later, 'Give me an hour and I'll be finished with customers. Do you like the mask? ;P'

Muse's cheek puffed up and her eyes narrow, 'Does feeling like I want to kill you mean anything?'

She could imagine Uta chuckling at her response, 'I'm glad you love it. Can't wait to see you.'

Muse was somewhat tempted to toss her phone at the wall, but refrained from doing so.

* * *

Entering HySy artmask after two weeks felt really good despite the fact it was raining rather badly, Muse closed her umbrella and turned to see Uta messing with something on his desk. Muse set her umbrella down by the door while commenting, "You're weird, you know that right?"

Uta snorted softly as he looked up at her, "Weird?"

"Sending expensive gifts to people you barely even know is weird," Muse ran a hand through her slightly damp hair.

"Then it's a good thing I want to change that, isn't it?" Uta surprised her and Muse looked at him with wide eyes.

"You want to get to know me better?" Muse felt a little stupid for asking that considering she wanted to do the same thing.

Uta stood up from his desk and walked over to her, "Mhmm. There's a lot I'd like to know about you."

Muse felt something rise inside of her as she heard him say that. The tone he used and his choice of words seemed to make her heart race while forcing her to take a step back. Each step Uta took towards her caused Muse to take a step back as her heart hammered against her rib cage. Muse didn't notice she was getting close to the wall until her back hit it and Uta was suddenly standing chest to chest with her. Uta's eyes seemed to glow slightly in the light and Muse felt her breath falter as he set his hands on either side of her. Muse swallowed, "L-like what?"

Uta leaned forward, "Do you like me?"

Muse was caught off guard by the question and even more surprised by the immediate answer that left her lips before the question fully registered, "Yes."

Uta smiled slightly, "Good."

Looking at him in surprise, Muse asked, "Good?"

"It means you won't mind me doing this," Uta replied and kissed Muse before she could really understand his statement.

Muse's eyes widen before slipping closed as she began to respond to the kiss. Uta pressed closer to her as Muse's arms wrapped around his neck. A hand settled on the back of her neck as Uta's tongue slid across her bottom lip. Without any further prompting, Muse's mouth opened and Uta's tongue slipped inside. The sliding of tongue against one another and the feeling of teeth clacking together was all Muse could really register other than how Uta tasted. He had some sort of spicy, yet sweet taste that made her crave more the longer she tasted it. The feeling of the cool meal of his lip ring was something she wasn't used to, but found she enjoyed. By the time they broke the kiss, Muse was breathless. Uta's head was settled on her shoulder and his warm breath brushed against the sensitive skin of her neck. As soon as she had regained enough breath to speak, Muse asked, "What does this mean?"

"Go out with me?" He asked and Muse nodded slowly, "Cool,"

Muse let out a soft laugh as that was exactly what he would say to her agreeing to go on a date with him. Muse leaned into him as she said, "Weirdo."

Uta snickered softly as he pressed his face close to her neck and Muse felt extremely happy.

What had been a single trip to find a good mask maker had turned into six meetings that slowly got her to like the mask maker. On her seventh visit, Muse had gotten a date from said mask maker. Deciding that even if she didn't like most of her co-workers, she was grateful that she'd had the luck to be picked to find those masks.

 **Well that's the last one. Probably not a very good one and Uta was probably OOC, but oh well.**


End file.
